Elizabeth Velasco for Colorado House District 57
Meet Elizabeth
Hola, I’m State Representative Elizabeth Velasco! It has been a privilege to serve you as the first Mexican-born state representative in Colorado, the first Latina legislator from the western slope, and the first open LGBTQ legislator in western Colorado.
I come from humble beginnings. I grew up low-income, living in mobile home parks in the Vail Valley, where I had to work multiple jobs to put myself through college and support my family. I know first-hand the realities that our working families face. I decided to run for office because for too long, too many of us have been left behind. We deserve leaders who take action and who put working families first.
In 2022 I ran on a platform of supporting our working families: affordable housing, language access, community resiliency, and access to clean air and clean water. I am proud to say that I delivered on my promises. I know that there is so much more work to do, and I am committed to doing it.
When I was a child in Mexico, we lived next to a plastic factory where we breathed toxic air every day. So many of our most marginalized communities live in areas where clean air and clean water are not a reality. That is why I prioritize access to clean air and clean water, and I have demonstrated this as a member of the Energy and Environment committee and prime sponsor of the Water Quality in Mobile Home Parks bill. I ran several bills to improve our wildfire resiliency and I chair the Wildfire Matters Interim Committee. I also championed affordable housing and language access during emergencies. You can read more about my work as your state legislator here.
Working families are the backbone of our state. We deserve access to resources and opportunities. Let’s continue working together for a thriving future in HD57. We are stronger together!
PRIORITIES
Workers and Working Families
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Affordable, attainable, and dignified housing
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Increase public school funding
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Childcare
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Affordable healthcare
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Public transportation
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Food security
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Good jobs
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Quality of Life
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Clean air and water
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Wildfire preparedness
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Prepared for a hotter, drier climate
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Fire evacuation
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Multilingual emergency communications
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Gun violence prevention
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Protecting our reproductive freedoms
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Access to Abortion
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Support for LGBTQ+ community
Community Safety & Environmental Protections
Education: student success & teacher support
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Ensuring K-12 schools are prioritized in the state budget
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Expand access to language proficiency designations
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Working with local government to craft real solutions that work for our unique communities
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Advocating for resources for our rural schools and institutions of higher ed
Want to Get Involved?
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Legislative Updates
I first ran for office in 2022 to get things done, and that’s exactly what I continue to do. There is so much more work to be done. In addition to running legislation, this year I was very involved in the district, advocating at the state level for issues in Carbondale, Parachute, and along I70. I will continue to advocate for resources for our district and to show up for our community.
My Bills
I ran 26 bills in the 2026 session, 15 of which are now signed into law You can read about each of my bills from the 2023 - 2026 sessions here.
In addition to those bills, I sponsored:
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2 Resolutions: One included bipartisan support for public lands and another recognizing Latino Advocacy Day.
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2 Amendments to the state budget (both passed) to support protecting Multimodal Transportation Funding which benefits many transportation infrastructure projects in our district as well as an amendment that restored funding for multiple employer health trusts that benefit public safety employees such as firefighters.
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I successfully passed 2 amendments to the budget bill that proposed gutting Cover All Coloradans program benefits by 50% and change the entire benefits structure, as well as freeze enrollment for child enrollees by September 1st, 2026.
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Cover All Coloradans provides coverage similar to Medicaid for undocumented immigrant kids and pregnant people.
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One of the amendments was unfortunately stripped in the Senate and the budget orbital passed despite creative options to take money from private prisons to invest in healthcare instead.
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Leadership and Committee Memberships:
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House Majority Co-Whip
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Vice Chair of the Energy and Environment Committee
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Chair of the Wildfire Matters Interim Committee
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Co Chair of the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus
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House Appropriations Committee
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Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee
I am also very proud of what the Democratic Party was able to accomplish in the House. We passed major bills on gun violence prevention, protecting our access to reproductive and gender-affirming care, making healthcare more affordable, and getting more protections for renters. You can read the full report of what we accomplished this session clicking here.
